From the category archives:

History

NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

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Since I posted the first of these on a Thursday, which is known on social media as a time of reflection, I thought to make it a regular thing under this rubric. These are kind of fun; it’s like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get. (Actually, I never understood […]

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In addition to his “solo career,” such as one of my favorites, Cult Baseball Players: The Greats, the Flakes, the Weird and the Wonderful, Danny Peary knows how to work nice with other people. He’s served as co-author on memoirs such as Ralph Kiner’s Baseball Forever: Reflections on 60 Years in the Game as well […]

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NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

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Lest we forget: Yogi Berra

September 24, 2015

Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees during their glory years of the 1950s-early 60s, passed away Tuesday at the age of 90. Needless to say, Berra was one of a kind. One of the last great players of his generation as well as a “colorful character,” the media is […]

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If he had just been a Jewish ballplayer, dayenu, it would have been enough. If he had just been arguably the best pitcher of his generation, dayenu. But when Sandy Koufax declined to take the mound for the first game of the 1965 World Series? More than enough. Fifty years later, Koufax’s decision to sit […]

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In the Seinfeld episode, “The Boyfriend,” Jerry and his friend George Costanza encounter guest star and Mets player Keith Hernandez at their gym. GEORGE: look at this guy. Does he have to stretch in here? JERRY: You know who that is? That’s GEORGE: Keith Hernandez? The baseball player? JERRY: Yeah, that’s him. GEORGE: Are you […]

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NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Since I posted the first of these on a Thursday, which is known on social media as a time of reflection, I thought to make it a regular thing under this rubric. These are kind of fun; it’s like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get. (Actually, I never understood […]

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Editor’s Note: Brought to you as another PSA, via the Baseball Hall of Fame. For further reading on the topic, scroll down to the bottom of the announcement. ——- In the earliest years of wireless radio, the pioneers of the industry created a new genre: Baseball broadcaster. This fall, one of those pioneers will win […]

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Since I posted the first of these on a Thursday, which is known on social media as a time of reflection, I thought to make it a regular thing under this rubric. These are kind of fun; it’s like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get. (Actually, I never understood […]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

If you’re nine. Seriously, I ruined a great desk because I put some of those Fleer logo stickers on it and could never get them off cleanly. I was reminded of this thanks to a post on Yahoo sports by Chris Cwik featuring “every MLB team’s logo changes through the years in one GIF.” Pretty […]

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NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Since I posted the first of these on a Thursday, which is known on social media as a time of reflection, I thought to make it a regular thing under this rubric. These are kind of fun; it’s like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get. (Actually, I never understood […]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

All of Jonathan Knight‘s books have been about Cleveland sports. While those might seem to be of interest only to denizens of that city, his latest — The Making of Major League: A Juuuust a Bit Inside Look at the Classic Baseball Comedy — is much more “universal,” appealing to fans not only of the local […]

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Another “Eloi” moment?

August 28, 2015

Whenever I learn of a situation where another library closes or a cache of baseball material is thrown away due to lack of space, money, or interest, I refer to this scene from the 1960 film version of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine. That’s how I felt after reading Jeff Pearlman’s piece in The Guardian, […]

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NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

While most baseball fiction leave me unimpressed, I was an early adopter of the work of Troy Soos, author of the Mickey Rawlings series of historical baseball mysteries. That’s quite an accomplishment when you think of the amount of work it takes to do any one of those well. Soos, who published first his first […]

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NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

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